City of Philadelphia v. Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 5

CRAIG, Judge.

The question of law posed in this case is whether the City of Philadelphia may rank police officer candidates on a civil service eligibility list on the basis of a random selection by computer, rather than upon the basis of test grades, where the city’s Home Rule Charter requires the names of successful candidates on eligible lists to be “in the order of their relative excellence,” and civil service regulations state that test grades are to be used to establish rank upon the eligibility list.

The City of Philadelphia has appealed the issuance of a preliminary injunction in the…